Chuck Slocum challenged adults 55 and over to mentor children (9/21/09). He noted about 300,000 Minnesota children are on road to failure if adults don't help. He made a strong case for the critical need to mentor “throw away kids.” What he didn’t say was how adults can benefit by their involvement as mentors.
Think about it, the only thing better than going to a baseball game is taking along a youngster and helping him or her learn to understand and enjoy the game. Isn’t teaching a kid how to make a meal better than going out to eat on your own? Being perhaps the one enthusiastic fan a child has to watch him/her play their game is far more rewarding than watching millionaire athletes play on TV. And finally, one of the greatest benefits to mentoring is that after you’ve enjoyed time together you get to bring the child home. It is like having the fun of being a grandparent, without all of the parental responsibilities.
It may well be that us older adults need kids just as much, if not more, than they need us.
The above posting was a letter of the day in the StarTribune.
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As a grandparent of five and a former mentor program director, I want to commend Kinship on their work and Dan on his 21 years of service. My 5 year old granddaughter tells me I am her best friend and teacher. I focus one night a week with each of the two families of my sons. If you don't have grandchildren, being a mentor to a child is the next best thing. As an older adult, I was surprised at how much children respond to me - so don't let age interfere with befriending a child. Mentoring helps prevent child abuse and neglect and helps heal kids that have been hurt as wqell as supporting their parents. Just do it. Connie Skillingstad, ED, Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota.
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